Panthers 2012 wrapup: Can Rivera turn it around in Year 3?

CHARLOTTE – Ron Rivera’s two seasons as head coach have to have Carolina Panthers fans wondering if they are watching the same movie.

In 2011, the Panthers started 1-5 and 2-8 before finishing strong to end up 6-10.

This year, Carolina started 1-6 and 2-7 before finishing strong again to go 7-9.

Based on the “no news is good news” front, it appears that Panthers owner Jerry Richardson thinks those fast finishes – this year’s in particular – are enough to allow Rivera to have a third season and perhaps more, despite many reports to the contrary throughout the second half of this season.

Can Rivera justify his owner’s patience and confidence?

In my view, simply finding ways to turn around the Panthers’ record in close games will keep him employed for years to come.

In the past two seasons, Rivera is a mere 5-13 in games decided by one-possession or less and eight games have been lost after the Panthers entered the fourth quarter with the lead.

Those numbers will have to change in order for Rivera to keep his critics – and his owner – happy in the future.

Perhaps it’s a simple matter of Rivera learning on the job in much the same way as his second-year quarterback Cam Newton.

Have mistakes been made? Certainly.

But has Rivera appeared to keep his team positive through many pitfalls in each of the past two seasons? There’s no question he has.

A common criticism I’ve heard through twitter or email responses or simply by chatting with fans is that since Rivers is considered a player’s coach, he may be “too nice” to instill the winning virtues Panthers’ fans desperately wish he would instill.

That’s probably a valid point.

But while it’s easy to “Monday morning quarterback” virtually every team in the NFL, it’s not a simple task to make sure your team plays hard in each of its games, particularly in those late in a season when there is no hope for postseason play.

And Rivera’s teams in each of the past two seasons have shown resolve and determination in those circumstances that is often considered in short supply by critics of professional sports.

Ultimately, however, Rivera’s development of Newton – or lack thereof – will almost certainly determine his Carolina coaching fate.

After all, Newton is considering the best individual talent in the franchise’s 18-year history.

And while Newton will enter next season with some of the best two-year quarterback passing and rushing statistics in NFL history, he’s directed two winning fourth quarter rallies while being at the controls of the team while it has lost eight fourth quarter leads.

Page 2 of 4 - If Newton and Rivers had flipped those numbers, the Panthers could’ve been a playoff team the past two seasons.

All-Pro center Ryan Kalil knew that as well as anybody when he took a full-page advertisement in The Charlotte Observer before the season began proclaiming the Super Bowl as the Panthers’ 2012 preseason goal.

Clearly, those hopes went down in flames pretty quickly as Kalil and 13 others were placed on season-ending injured reserve, but the confidence has to be applauded.

Next year, the playoff contention has to be the goal because if it isn’t, why would Richardson want to keep Rivera around for a fourth season?

Richard Walker: 704-869-1841; twitter.com/JRWalk22

2012 6-pack of Panthers stats

Kuechly’s rookie season

When the Carolina Panthers selected Luke Kuechly with the ninth overall pick of last April’s draft out of Boston College, they knew they were getting a player with record-setting defensive pedigree – he finished his college career with 532 tackles – but few saw him doing the same at the NFL level. However, Kuechly did just that, becoming the first rookie to lead the league in tackles since 2007 with 164.

No sophomore slump for Newton

When the Carolina Panthers started the year at 1-6, the story was that Newton was simply enduring a “sophomore slump.” Then Newton and the Panthers rallied to go 6-3 the rest of the season that included wins over NFC division champions Washington (East) and Atlanta (South). Newton’s numbers were surprisingly similar to 2011 when he was NFL offensive rookie of the year. Newton passed for 4,051 yards with 21 TDs and 17 interceptions and rushed for 706 yards and 14 TDs as a rookie, then passed for 3,869 with 19 TDs and 12 interceptions while rushing for a team-high 741 yards and eight TDs this season.

Smith chugging up NFL charts

Steve Smith had his seventh 1,000-yard receiving season in a year in which he continues to show he is one of the NFL’s best at his position. Smith will enter 2013 ranked No. 23 all-time in league history in career receiving yards (11,452) and tied for No. 27 in career receptions (772).

Pass-rushing pair lead defensive line

Defensive ends Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy formed one of the best pass rushing combinations in the league as Johnson had a career-high 12.5 quarterback sacks and Hardy had 11. Johnson’s now has 43 career sacks, which ranks him third all-time in Panthers’ history and leaves him behind only Julius Peppers (81 sacks from 2002-09) and Mike Rucker (55 1-2 sacks from 1999-2007).

Kicking carousel since Kasay

For all but a few games of the first 16 years of the Panthers’ franchise, John Kasay was a fixture as the team’s kicker. But since Kasay was allowed to leave through free agency following the 2010 season, the Panthers have used three kickers to varying degrees of success. Olindo Mare went 22 of 28 on field goals and hit 44 of 45 extra points in 2011, then was beaten out by Justin Medlock in a preseason kicking battle in August. But Medlock was released after the Nov. 18 overtime loss to Tampa Bay after making seven of 10 field goals and all 23 extra points. Medlock was replaced by Graham Gano, who converted nine of 10 field goals and 20 of 21 extra points.

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Double trouble?

With $81 million committed to dueling running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, the Panthers expected to have a great running game. They did, but were led by quarterback Cam Newton’s 741 yards rushing. Williams, who closed with a team-record 210-yard game at New Orleans last week, finished with 737 yards in a season in which he was replaced in the starting lineup by Stewart. Stewart, who missed seven games with ankle injuries, finished with 336 yards.

Team statistics (rankings among 32 NFL teams)

Offense

Points – 18th (team record: 4th in 1999)

Yards – 12th (team record: 6th in 1999)

Defense

Points – 18th (team record: 2nd in 1996)

Yards – 10th (team record: 2nd in 2002)

They said it…

“Who wants to support something that puts on a performance of embarrassment out there, and that’s what that was. If I was a fan of the Carolina Panthers, I would be holding my head down in shame at the product that was out there.” – Cam Newton after a 36-7 loss to the New York Giants on Sept. 20.

“I get over here and pick up the Gameday (program) and I’m looking at it as is customary and I look on there and it says, ‘Homecoming.’ And I’m thinking to myself, this is the National Football League. Are you serious? Homecoming? Homecoming? It’s not like they tried to hide it. They blatantly put it on the cover of the Gameday. You talking about somebody fired up today? It was definitely motivating. You don’t say you’re going to have a homecoming in the National Football League. You do it in college. It’s one of those teams that’s just terrible. You don’t book a good team for homecoming. You don’t give a team extra motivation by putting it on your program.” – DeAngelo Williams after a 21-13 win at Washington on Nov. 4.

“It would have meant a lot for us to beat him. That’s a big game for him. I’m sure they’ll have a nice flight home. It’s a shame it went the way it did.” – Jordan Gross after Denver’s 36-14 win over Carolina on Nov. 11 in Broncos head coach John Fox’s first game in Charlotte since being fired as Panthers head coach after the 2010 season.

“This one is right at the top. This is about as bad as it gets. We had every opportunity.” – Rivera after the 27-21 overtime loss to Tampa Bay on Nov. 18.

“I gave our game ball today to Thomas Davis. I told the team that last spring, Thomas and I sat down with our owner (Jerry Richardson) and we didn’t know exactly where Thomas was. Thomas looked me in the eye and told me he would come back. I said, ‘I’ll give you that opportunity.’ As a head coach, when you have a guy look you in the eye, coming off three knee surgeries and he makes you believe in him, that’s what it’s all about. It really is.” – Coach Ron Rivera after the 30-20 win over Atlanta on Dec. 9.

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“He said was that he was proud of us, everybody, because it could have been very easy to cash it in and nobody did.” – Rivera on quarterback Newton’s postgame comments to the team in the locker room after a 44-38 win at New Orleans on Dec. 30.

2013 schedule

The NFL won’t release the official schedule until April, but the Carolina Panthers does know who it will play and where it will play: